Civics & Government Work books Lesson 3
Bio: Nicholas Copernicus
(1473-1543) Polish priest, astronomer, and mathematician who theorized the sun was the center of the universe, not the Earth, which challenged church teachings
Bio: Francis Bacon
(1561-1626) English philosopher, writer, statesman, and scientist—among many other things—who championed the use of the scientific method and reason to explain natural phenomena
Bio: Galileo Galilei
(1564-1642) Italian astronomer and mathematician who observed evidence of Copernicus's theory of a heliocentric universe
Bio: René Descartes
(1596-1650) French philosopher and mathematician who relied on the use of the scientific method and reason to explain natural phenomena and advocated the idea of the clockmaker deity
How did Switzerland become the direct inheritor and propagator of Roman republicanism?
by establishing a government based on direct democracy
Which most accurately describes what happens in a democratic republic?
citizens elect representatives who act on their behalf in the governing body
The Federal Council is which branch of the Swiss government?
executive
Who concluded that people should rely on their own judgment to change their existence, rather than trusting the teaching of the church?
Voltaire
In 1688, the English Parliament requested that William III, a Dutch noble, and his wife Mary II, the Princess of England, give military aid to England to stop the tyranny of Mary's father, James II. James was a Catholic who was strictly imposing his religion on England. The English Parliament was composed of members who were Protestant.
When William and Mary landed in England, James II fled to France. He attempted to return by gathering together a French and Irish army based in Ireland, but he was quickly defeated. There was little loss of life, and this event became known as the Glorious Revolution because so little blood was shed.
While working for the Earl of Shaftsbury, John Locke wrote the Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina, which established what ideas? Select all that apply.
a representative democracy religious freedom
In The Spirit of the Laws, Montesquieu lays out a system for what type of government?
a three-branch government
What major idea about government was challenged by the Scientific Revolution?
rule by divine right
What ideas were brought forth by John Locke's Two Treatises of Civil Government? Select all that apply.
social contract natural rights
Which of these was a catalyst for the Scientific Revolution?
the Renaissance
Why did Montesquieu leave his hereditary position on the court of appeals of the Bordeaux Parliament?
to explore the spirit of the law
Which theological teaching stated that the church and the state are two separate spheres of influence that can advise one another but remain distinct?
two kingdoms doctrine
Who was an English philosopher, writer, statesman, and scientist who championed the use of the scientific method and reason to explain natural phenomena?
Bacon
Before Moving On Reasoning: James II had created a standing army, which went on to kill hundreds of Protestants.
Before Moving On Reasoning: The Crown had typically tortured the accused to receive confessions for crimes. Before Moving On Reasoning: James II had created laws restricting the right of Protestants to bear arms, while allowing Catholics to be armed.
Bio: Jean-Jacques Rousseau Swiss-French Philosopher | Author | Composer June 28, 1712 - July 2, 1778
Biography: Brought up by an uncle, Jean-Jacques Rousseau held many jobs but longed to be a composer. In 1742, a move to Paris led to him contributing to Denis Diderot's Encyclopédie. In 1749, Rousseau read an ad about an essay contest on the effects of music and science on morals. He had an epiphany: "Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains." This idea was published in The Social Contract, which stated that surrendering individual rights for the good of all would create social equality for everyone, including women. Rousseau's social contract theory established important ideas about the nature of government in society. Anecdote: The Social Contract was not well received in Paris and Geneva. In both cities, Rousseau was ostracized to the point that he fled to England for seven years.
Bio: Baron de Montesquieu French Philosopher | Lawyer | Author January 18, 1689 - February 10, 1755
Biography: Charles Louis de Secondat inherited the title Baron de Montesquieu upon his uncle's death. Through this title, he served in the Bordeaux Parliament's court of appeals. He began writing and became disinterested in laws but fascinated with the spirit behind them. He sold his hereditary position and traveled Europe. Observing England's constitutional monarchy inspired his greatest work, The Spirit of the Laws, which laid out a system of three-branch government. James Madison used this system when creating the US Constitution, and many countries use a parliamentary system with different branches having separate powers. Anecdote: In 1721, Montesquieu published Persian Letters, a satire of French government and society told through the observations of two Persians visiting Paris. It made him famous.
Bio: Voltaire French Author | Philosopher November 21, 1694 - May 30, 1778
Biography: François-Marie d'Arouet, pen name Voltaire, was born into nobility. His wit made him popular with aristocrats. However, his criticism of religious intolerance and the government brought him imprisonment and exile. In 1718, he was imprisoned for 11 months in the Bastille for insulting the Duke of Orleans. There, he wrote his first play, Oedipus, which launched his career. Voltaire's masterpiece, Candide, derides both government and church for persecuting citizens. An outspoken Enlightenment thinker, Voltaire concludes that people should improve their own existence rather than trusting the church. Anecdote: In 1763, Voltaire wrote "I say that we should regard all men as our brothers. What? The Turk my brother? The Chinaman my brother? The Jew? The Siam? Yes, without doubt; are we not all children of the same father and creatures of the same God?"
Bio: John Locke English Philosopher | Physician | Economist August 29, 1632 - October 28, 1704
Biography: While studying medicine, Locke met Anthony Ashley Cooper, Earl of Shaftsbury and Lord Proprietor of the Carolina Colony. Locke conducted business for the earl and wrote the Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina. This document established representative democracy and religious freedom. In 1679, Lord Ashley created the Whig party to stop James II's ascendance to the throne. When James II was crowned, those opposing him were in trouble. Guilty by association, Locke fled to Holland in 1683, where he wrote his most significant work, Two Treatises of Civil Government. It describes people's natural rights and the idea of a social contract between government and citizens. Anecdote: Lord Ashley also hired Locke as his personal physician, and Locke saved his life with a groundbreaking operation to remove a cyst from the earl's liver.
In which book does Voltaire disparage the government and the church for persecuting citizens?
Candide
Which is considered Voltaire's most famous work?"
Candide
Who believed that people are born free and surrender their freedom for the good of society?
Rousseau
Which of the following provisions of the English Bill of Rights limited the authority of the English monarchy?
The Crown could not make war without the consent of Parliament.
Selected Provisions of the English Bill of Rights
The Crown could not raise a standing army unless agreed upon by Parliament. The Crown could not make war without the consent of Parliament. The Crown could not raise taxes without the consent of Parliament. The Crown had no royal power to enforce the law. The Crown could not appoint or punish judges. Citizens had the right to request action from the Crown without punishment. Cruel and unusual punishment could not be imposed on those imprisoned. The Crown could not interfere in elections. Parliament decided the next individual who could be crowned. Roman Catholics could not be crowned. Individuals crowned must take an oath to maintain the Protestant religion. Citizens had the right to bear arms.
Which right was guaranteed by the English Bill of Rights?
Citizens had the right to request action from the Crown without punishment.
Which describes how Switzerland's Federal Council created a participatory democracy? Select all that apply.
Each canton elects an individual to represent it in the Federal Council. Each of the members has an equal vote on the council. The council elects a president and a vice president.
In establishing a federal council, Switzerland was one of the first European nations to begin evolving toward participatory democracy. This is how the Federal Council works:
Each of the cantons elects an individual to represent it in the federal council. From the council, one individual is elected president and another vice president. However, these are purely administrative roles. Each of the members has an equal vote on the council. Similarly, each of the seven members on the council is responsible for different aspects of Swiss government. For example, the member elected president may also be responsible for education and welfare in the nation.
Read the sentence. Switzerland's _[blank]_ and _[blank]_ provide an interesting example of participatory democracy. Which options correctly complete the sentence? Select all that apply.
Federal Council Federal Assembly
Which document written by Locke was about representative democracy and religious freedom?
Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina
James II was overthrown during the _[blank]_. Which correctly completes the sentence?
Glorious Revolution
Which identifies a result of the Scientific Revolution?
Government became understood as a natural process that could be changed and improved upon.
Why was James II considered a tyrant?
He instituted Catholic practices.
What is the most relevant reason for the English Bill of Rights including a provision to protect the right of citizens to bear arms?
James II had created laws restricting the right of Protestants to bear arms, while allowing Catholics to be armed.
The Swiss Federal Council reflects the system of governance promoted by the theology of which leader?
John Calvin
Whose theology influenced the Swiss government through his ideas of church government?
John Calvin
After William and Mary ascended to the throne of England, what document did Parliament insist that their new monarchs follow?
Magna Carta
How did Europeans' views of the universe as a large machine change how people viewed government?
People believed that government also operated like a machine, and that individuals only needed reason to determine how to govern themselves.
In which work did Rousseau state that surrendering individual rights for the good of all would create equality for everyone?
The Social Contract
Which work by Montesquieu was inspired by England's constitutional monarchy?
The Spirit of the Laws
Which identifies the impact of the Renaissance?
The patterns of nature observed during the Renaissance were then analyzed and scrutinized during the Scientific Revolution.
Galileo was an Italian astronomer who observed evidence of what type of universe?
heliocentric
Read the sentence. Many Europeans reasoned that if the universe was something similar to a(n) _[blank]_ operating on its own, then perhaps human government is the same. Which option correctly completes the sentence?
large machine
In his famous work Candide, Voltaire disparages what institutions for persecuting citizens?
the government and the church
How did the discoveries of the Scientific Revolution threaten the monarchy in Europe?
the idea that the Earth not being the center of the universe and operating on its own, like a large machine, placed in jeopardy such beliefs as rule by divine right. Also, the scientific method and mechanistic perspective of the universe helped give rise to rational contracts, such as constitutions, based on agreements between the governed and their governor.